We’ll end banditry this year — Senate

2026-02-05 - 03:58

By Henry Umoru ABUJA- THE Senate yesterday assured that continued cases of armed banditry, insurgency, with continued killings, kidnapping and wanton destruction of property will end this year 2026, pledging to take a second look at 2026 budget, with a view to funding the military. It also asked President Bola Tinubu and security agencies to sustain coordinated operations until all criminal elements were flushed out. Speaking when he responded to a point of Order raised by Senator Garba Maidoki, APC, Kebbi South, yesterday, President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, who gave the assurance, said on January 1 this year, his prayers to God were that banditry and insurgency should end this year. He said: “I want to thank you, Senator Maidoki, for your very strong stance and to say that we in the Senate are with you. We share the same opinion. We are of the opinion that this banditry should end. In fact, on January 1, my prayer to God, which I spread to the nation, was that the banditry and insurgency should end this year. “By the grace of God, in 2026, we will not see our end, but rather, we shall see the end of 2026 and the end of banditry. That’s our prayer, so I understand the anger. “But also note, there are a lot of things involved. They only go for soft targets. We cannot have military barracks in every village in Nigeria. The country is very vast. So they (bandits, terrorists) go for soft targets. And when they go, they cause massive damage. And by the time we move there, it becomes reactionary. Earlier in his remarks, Senator Maidoki, under Order 42, noted that banditry had continued unabated, stressing the need for it to be nipped in the bud. He said the Senate should put enough resources in the budget for the army, take money from whatever source possible and fund the military well so that banditry will end within this year. Maidoki said: “Senate President, I have cried to you severally concerning insecurity in my area and graciously, a committee of military chiefs was set up, so we can look at these security issues holistically. “Last time, we have agreed that more funding should go to the military. This is budget period. I told you if you give me school today and I run away from that school, it’s of no use to me. ‘’Let’s put enough resources. the budget is coming here, let’s put money for the army, let’s take money from whatever source possible and fund the military well, so that this thing can finish within this year; we don’t want this in 2026.” The Senate also urged President Tinubu to honour his pledge of creating a new military barracks in the zone and directed the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to equip a new Squadron, if established, with at least three Armoured Personnel Carriers, APC, to intensify intelligence-driven operations, including forest combing, cross-state collaboration, and community-based intelligence systems across Katsina and other hotspots. In his presentation, Senator Dandutse said: As at Tuesday, February 3, 2026, 35 people have been attacked and killed across Funtua zone; 24 in Faskari Local Government Area; eight in Mahuta Ward of Dandume Local Government Area; two in Maska Ward of Funtua Local Government Area; and one person in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State in less than two weeks. “One is concerned that the incessant banditry attacks on communities will significantly impact food production and agricultural activities, as more than 50,000 farmlands are not cultivable currently, thereby jeopardising food security and livelihood of the people.” Vanguard News Nigeria